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Clinton Center participates in Earth Day

Little Rock, Ark. (April 15, 2010) -- On Friday, April 16, the staff and volunteers of the Clinton Presidential Center (which include the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation, National Archives and Records Administration and Clinton School of Public Service) along with Americorps VISTA Members, Master Gardeners, Arkansas National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, Arkansas Baptist College, and the City of Little Rock will work alongside sixth graders from Dunbar Middle School with planting, roof repair, clean up and maintenance of the Dunbar Community Garden Project.

Friday, April 16, 2010

9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Dunbar Community Garden Project

1800 S. Chester

Little Rock, Arkansas

The project is sponsored by the Clinton Presidential Center in partnership with Whole Hog Café, The Good Earth Garden Center, and the Clinton Museum Store.

The William J. Clinton Foundation launched its "Take Initiative" Earth Day campaign encouraging people to take initiative to combat climate change and improve the environment. The campaign is supporting local volunteer events in several cities - including Little Rock - culminating in a special online forum with President Bill Clinton on April 22.

During his administration, and now through his Foundation, President Clinton has worked to address global challenges, including climate change and sustainable economic growth and development.

Throughout the campaign, an online quiz will test people's knowledge on climate change. For every person who takes the quiz, $2 will be donated toward buying solar flashlights for people living in tent camps in Haiti. If 100,000 people take the quiz, the Foundation will reach its goal of sending 20,000 solar flashlights to improve safety conditions in camps.

By visiting www.clintonfoundation.org/earthday, people can also learn about the Foundation's climate and environment-related initiatives, and sign up to participate in local volunteer events in several cities - including Little Rock - nationwide.

At the end of the campaign, President Clinton will answer questions in an online forum on Earth Day, April 22. Details will be made available on the Web site in the coming days.

About the Dunbar Garden Project

The Dunbar Garden Project (DGP) is a two-acre, outdoor "classroom" serving students from the adjacent Gibbs International Magnet Elementary School and students from the Dunbar Magnet Middle School in the central city area of Little Rock. The Garden functions as an innovative public/private partnership between Little Rock Parks and Recreation and the two schools.

The mission of the DGP is to preserve the relationship between education and the natural world by providing a hands-on, outdoor experiential education for school children, teenagers, and adults. One key focus is teaching children the origin of the foods they eat. There are over 150 hands-on gardening and environmental education classes for school children taught each year.

Produce from the Dunbar Garden is sold to local Arkansas restaurants and eateries such as Lilly's Dim Sum, ZaZa's, UAMS, The Capital Hotel, DamGoode Pies, Vino's, Browning's, Boulevard Bread Company, Heifer International, Gibbs Magnet School and Forty Two, the on-site restaurant at the Clinton Center.

The Clinton Museum Store offers a diverse selection of unique souvenirs and gifts, President Clinton’s favorite books, contemporary American arts and crafts, and a large array of specialty items from around the world. The Museum Store is conveniently located one block from the Clinton Presidential Center, and a shuttle provides free round-trip transportation from the Center to the Museum Store. Visit Website

The Clinton Climate Initiative’s Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL) is the first of a new breed of employer-sponsored “energy benefits” which bring energy efficiency and sustainable practices to the workplace. Employee Energy Benefits are turnkey programs that are delivered in much the same way as voluntary benefit offerings, such as a 401k or Flexible Spending Account. As the pioneer program in this movement, HEAL is primarily designed to lower the employee-participant’s home energy expenses, but future Energy Benefit offerings could target other areas of impact such as commuting/transportation or water conservation. Read More